Mass Media and Advertising Imagery

Malcom X once said, “The media’s the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that’s power. Because they control the minds of the masses.” Although one of the most controversial militant iconic figures his words ring true today with one exception. The media may control the minds of the masses but the masses desires are reflected in the media. Many things throughout history contributed to this idea; things such as the war propaganda movies that inspired people to join the military, to the industrial revolution and household consumerism. The media has been present since we have been present. Americans are known as the consumerist country and sometimes the media inspiring consumers helps the economy. However sometimes the media pushes boundaries to the extreme. The media used to help out nice Stepford wives of the 1950’s pick out the perfect kitchen aide, now advertisers use cryptic suggestively scandalized images to sell everything from butter to clothing. Today everyone knows “sex sells”. Guess photographer Wayne Maser stated he tried to depict life, people’s desires, needs and dreams. The desires come from us and the media uses that to create images to make us think if we own those knee high boots or designer tie that we too will achieve our desires.
These sexualized ads that prey on consumer desires are now distorting them. Advertisements have abundantly evolved into misrepresented desires that sometimes do not even showcase the product. As much as they prey on desires they prey on insecurities. Jordache jeans had tv spots that showcased adolescent girls crying about how un-pretty they are, Calvin Kline jeans had skinny girls talking about horses and irrelevant things, basically the ads were about anything but the jeans, ignoring the product completely. This affects self image directly attacking or provoking the things consumers really don’t have but want. However it attracts controversy and has parental groups and women’s rights organizations criticizing the use of highly sexualized under aged kids. It changes women’s views of what is feminine or sexy and consumer’s views as to what are life’s necessities. Consumers spend so much money on purchasing the perfect jeans that will attract the perfect guy thus giving them the perfect life that was depicted for them in the advertisement. Some critic’s feel that those funds people are squandering on the next great jean should be better spent on social capital such as education, nutrition, housing etc. Comedian George Carlin said it best in his routine “ That’s all you need in life, a little place for your stuff. That’s all your house is: a place to keep your stuff. If you didn’t have so much stuff, you wouldn’t need a house.” That I think is the main negative aspect of consumerism, people spending their assets on stuff they feel they need based on advertising, and get little value or social rewards. The media perpetuates the idea of our self-image pressuring consumers until they’ve attained this skewed version of the perfect life.
Advertising and the media in general is hard to escape even if a person doesn’t own a magazine or watch tv you are still subjected to billboards and other images on your daily commute. The idea beauty and what men see as sexy thus contributing to eating disorders or an altered idea of self accost every female and I’m no exception. Another way the media has affected myself is it gave me a negative idea of what success is. I come from a financially unstable broken home. My idea of success thanks to sitcoms, commercials and print were that of a perfect family sitting down together for dinner, being young, educated wealthy and having the perfect wardrobe. Since I have learned that everyone is on a different path. I didn’t graduate in four years, I’ve worked and paid my way through school and don’t have the prefect car. My idea of success now is having good health, doing what needs to be done to be educated and being not only satisfied with what I have but being happy in life. Laughter and art are my greatest joys.